Cam-shaft-operating means for internal-combustion engines.



F. l. TONE.

CAM SHAFT OPERATING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I6. 19I6.

1,300,513 1 8. Patented Apr. 15,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

FILquZ.

Patented 1 1 15, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. I. TONE.

CAM SHAFT OPERATING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I6. 1916. 1,300,518.

Q91 M4003 MW 71M FRED I. TONE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

CAM-SHAFT-OPERATING MEANS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed September 16, 1916. Serial No. 120,498.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED I. TONE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, Marion county,and State of Indiana, have invented and discovered certain new anduseful Improvements in Cam- Shaft-Operating Means forInternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a cam shaft operating mechanism for internalcombustion engines and its object is to provide means for operating thevalve operating cam shaft from the main shaft which shall dispense witha continuous train of gears or a chain for such purpose which isparticularly adaptable for cooperation with valves mounted in thecylinder heads and also to engines having two or more sets of cylindersarranged at an angle to one another and which shall enable theemployment of a single connecting and driving member common to the camshafts of all the sets of cylinders and to provide adjusting meanswhereby a proper centering and interfitting of the parts of saidmechanism may be obtained when the same are assembled notwithstandinginequalities in the form of the various parts due to construction orwear.

With these objects and others in view my invention is embodied inpreferable form in the construction and arrangement hereinafterdescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 7

In these drawings, Figure 1 is an end View partly in vertical section ofan engine embodying my improvements, Fig. 2, a horizontal section online 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail end view partly in sectionof the coupling at the upper end of the operating frame and Fig. 4: asection on line Ll of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown as applied to anine-cylinder engine in which 1 are the cylinders of a central row, theunits of which are arranged vertically and 2 and 3 respectively are thecylinders of two left and right hand side rows of cylinders, disposed ata V-angle of 80 to one another. However a greater or less number ofcylinders may be employed in connection with a construction embodyingthe main features of my invention, al though the latter as a wholeparticularly cooperates with the arrangement shown. The valves for thecylinders are arranged in vertical heads 5 above the cylinders, thoseheads for the two side sets extending at an angle to the axes of theirrespective cylinders and parallel to the vertical heads of the centralset whereby ready accessibility to all the valves is afforded and acompact arrangement of heads and cylinders obtained. 6 designates thepistons, 7 the connectlng rods, 8 a crank pin and 9 the main drivingshaft.

On the shaft 9 at the front end thereof is a gear wheel 10 which isadapted to mesh with and drive gears 11 and 12 mounted on stub shafts 13and 14, one on each side of said main shaft. Each of these gear wheels11 and 12 carries a crank 15. On these cranks is mounted the camshaft-driving and connecting member consisting of an integral sheetmetal frame 16, having a central vertical arm 17 and two side arms 18and 19 corresponding respectively to the cam shafts of the central andside sets of cylinders.

At the junctions of the arm 17 with each of the arms 18 and 19, themember is provided with an enlargement 20 forming a bearing whichsurrounds the crank 15. A ball bearing 21 is interposed between thecrank and enlarged portion of said member. The arm 17 is straight whilethe arms 18 and 19 are bent angularly in order to follow the axes oftheir respective cylinders and heads.

The upper end of each arm is provided with an eccentric ring 22 adaptedto surround an eccentric collar 23 carried on a crank pin 24 of a crankconsisting of a sleeve or boss 25 and disk 26 which disk is bolted towthe cam shaft 27. The crank pin 24 is connected to the crank sleeve 25by means of a bolt 28 having at one end a hexagon head, and having itsopposite end threaded, and having such threaded end adapted to engage anintoriorly threaded wedgeshaped nut 29 in a recess in one end of thecrank pin 24, which end is split so that when the bolt is tightened byturning its hexagon head the wedge member 29 will be drawn in againstthe crank pin and expand the latter against the sleeve 25 so as to bindsaid parts together.

An annular ball bearing 30 is interposed between the collar 23 and thecrank pin 24. The hexagon head of the bolt 28 bears against the annularbearing, forcing the i same against the sleeve 25. The openings in theannular bearing and the sleeve 25 are adapted to register when the headmembers 5 and other parts of the motor fit together properly. Owing toslight inequalities in vthe parts or to wear in the gasket-at the baseof the heads, the parts may not fit exactly thus changing the distancebetween the centers of the cam shaft and stub shaft and between thecenters of the driving and driven cranks which would prevent the correctengagement of the arms of the driving member 16 with the cam shaftsunless provision were made for taking care of this lack of registry.This objection is overcome by circularly shifting the eccentrics 22 and23 relatively to thereby so adjust the center of the annular bearingthat the distances between the centers of the annular bearing 30 andbearing 20 is the same as that between the centers of the cam shaft andthe stub shaft 13. The one-piece three-armed frame 16 enables thisadjustment to be effected 25 in an engine of the type shown. Wheneverthe apertures in the sleeve and annular bearing are in registry, theparts are in correct position and when such registry is effected thebolt 28 is inserted and the sleeve and 30 bearing drawn tightly togetherby tightening the head on the end of the bolt. In the operation of thedevice the connecting member 16 will be rotated by the cranks 15 andwill thus operate the cam '35 shafts 27 which carry the cams foroperating the valve mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, in 40 combination with an explosioncylinder, the main shaft, a valve for said cylinder, a crank driven bythe main shaft, a cam shaft for operating said valve, a crank on saidcam shaft, a connecting arm between said cranks and a means foreccentrically adjusting the end of said arm at its connection with thesecond crank to adapt the'centers of said arm connection and said cranksto variations in the assembled parts of the englne.

2. In an internal combustion engine, in combination with an explosioncyhnder, a

valve for said cylinder, a camshaft for o*p eratin said valve, a mainsl1aft,-cranks intermediate said main shaft and cam shaft, an armconnecting said cranks, and having a head adapted to eccentrically fitsaid cam shaft crank, said crank and head having apertures adapted. toregister and a pin adapted to be inserted in said aperture through saidparts whereby when the head of the arm and the crank are adjusted sothat said; aperture will register the centers and said head will be incorrect relative driving position.

cam shaft for each row of cylinders, a crank driven from the main shaft,cranks carried by said cam shafts andi a rigid connecting member mountedon the crank that is driven from the mam shaft, and having armsconnecting respectively at their ends with the crank-s of said oamshafts.

4. In an internal combustion engine, in combination with a series ofexplosion cylinders arranged in three rows side by side, valves for saidcylinders, valve operating means, a. main shaft, gear Wheels mounted onopposite sides of said shaft, and driven therefrom, a crank carried byeach gear wheel, a member for operating said valve operating means andpivotally connected to each of said cranks, and having arms connected tosaid valve operating means.

5. In an internal combustion engine, in combination with a series ofexplosion cylinders arranged in three rows side by side,

valves for said cylinders, valves actuating means, a main shaft, and amember common to all of said valve operating means and driven from themain shaft and having two centers of rotation, one on each side of saidmain shaft.

6. In an internal combustion engine, in combination with a series ofexplosion cylinders arranged in three rows side by side,

valves for said cylinders, a valve operating cam shaft for each row, amain shaft on a pa1r of gears one on each side the said m-aln' shaft anddriven therefrom, cranks carried by said gears, cranks carried by saidcam shafts and a rigid connecting frame common to all of said cam shaftsand having three arms connected respectively to the cranks thereof, saidframe being pivotally mounted on the two gear wheel cranks and adaptedto be circularly driven therelby.

7. In an internal combustion engine in combination with a series ofexplosion cylinders arranged in three rows side by side, the cylindersof the side rows being disposed at a V-angle to the cylinders of thecentral row and to one another of the said cylinders having valve head'sextending vertically above the cylinders in parallelism and valvesmounted in said heads, means for ,the

cylinders having vertical extending heads, heads of the cylinders oftlie side rows being to an angle of the axes of said cylinders, valvesinclosed Within said heads, cam shafts for operating the valves of therespective rows, a main shaft, cranks driven by said main shaft, cranksonthe cam shafts, a connecting member between the cranks driven by themain shaft and the cam shaft cranks, consisting of a three .armed frame,mounted to be circularly driven by the two cranks which are driven themain shaft.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 18th day of September, A. D. nineteenhundred and sixteen.

FRED 1. TONE. a 8.]

Witnesses:

W. P. DOOLITTLE, L. BAILEY.

